Thomas Hearing

Rocks and fossils of Cambrian age (541–485 million years ago) record the emergence and establishment of animal-dominated marine ecosystems – the first time metazoan life sculpted Earth’s surface, albeit with some bizarre inhabitants. However, the environments in which these early animals evolved remain remarkably unconstrained. Thomas' research aims to quantify these ancient environments using biogeochemical data from some of the earliest animal remains known as ‘small shelly fossils’ (SSFs).